Photoelectric Properties of Pure and Gas-Contaminated Magnesium

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Abstract
The present study is a continuation of an earlier investigation by the authors on the effects of gases on the photoelectric sensitivity of magnesium. A method for purifying magnesium by multiple distillations is described. The threshold characteristic of all gas-free surfaces obtained by successive distillations is found to lie at 3430±20A. The threshold value at 5100A, previously ascribed to pure magnesium, is now definitely attributed to magnesium contaminated by hydrogen. The effects of oxygen are further investigated in detail, a very slight dosing giving rise to a maximum excursion of the long wave limit to about 5700A. Calculations show that the formation of polar molecules on the magnesium surface will account for the threshold shift observed when hydrogen or oxygen is present.

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